How to Take the Headache Out of Cash-In Refinancing

You have probably heard of cash-out refinancing, which allows the borrower to leave the closing with a little extra money. This type of refinancing was very popular a few years ago, before the housing market crashed. The United States Housing market is currently still recovering, so cash-out refinancing is not so popular anymore.

A type of refinancing that is pretty much the opposite of cash-out refinancing is cash-in refinancing. With a cash-in refinancing, the borrower makes cash payment when refinancing, instead of receiving a cash payment. This type of refinancing is used by more and more borrowers because it helps them meet the lender’s requirements. The borrower makes a payment towards his or her mortgage balance, and then takes out a new loan for a much smaller amount. Most people who choose to do a cash-in refinance have money sitting in savings accounts that yield low returns, and would like to put that money to better use.

Is Cash-In Refinancing a Good Idea?

Paying off your mortgage easier or earlier is a great feeling, but you might be asking yourself if that money would be put to better use if you invested it in something else. You could be investing the thousands of dollars that you are using in a cash-in refinance elsewhere, but this type of refinance can also be considered a good investment. Reducing your mortgage debt will get you a lower interest rate, which would bring you some large savings and possibly be more than the return that some investments would generate.

Cash-in refinancing is a great opportunity for home owners whose homes have declined in value. If the home is appraised for a low amount, the equity in it might not be enough to meet the lender’s minimum lending requirements, so making a large payment will certainly help you qualify for a refinance much easier. Making that payment required in a cash-in refinancing will also help you avoid having to pay for Private Mortgage Insurance.

You might want to reduce your mortgage term, from 30 years to 15 years for example, but you wouldn’t be able to afford the much larger monthly payment. By doing a cash-in refinance, you lower the mortgage balance, making it much easier for you to reduce the term of your mortgage loan and afford the new monthly payment.

Of course, like with any type of refinancing, there will be a couple of years or more until the amount of money that you used to pay the closing costs with will be recovered by the savings from refinancing (Read: Refinance Loan Types and Closing Costs).

Another downside is that you have to come up with a large amount of money for the required cash payment, which may cause you some trouble if you are taking it from a 401k, for example. Taking money from a 401k will attract some penalties, such as recovery or repayment costs. Obtaining the money by selling stocks could result in having to pay a capital gains tax.

The thought of saving thousands of dollars by doing a cash-in refinancing is very appealing, but, like with any type of refinancing, you must consider all the risks as well. Your financial situation and future plans should be the most important factors affecting the decision to refinance. If you come to the conclusion that doing a cash-in refinance will save you money and make your life easier, then you shouldn’t encounter any problems as long as you have done your homework and understand what it involves.